Rail joint construction



May 12, 1931. B. G. BRAINE RAIL JOINT CONSTRUCTION Filed July 14, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ba firmin M m Zfl/ZM y 1931- B. G. BRAINE 1,805,034

RAIL JOINT CONSTRUCTION Filed'July 14, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 12, 1931 UNITED P T OFFIC 7 BANGBOFE were New from, Y., AssIeN-en to THE; RAIL some comma;

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BAIL Jamar eonsmeucmion Application filed. July 14;,

-v in service withconsequent economy in the use of metal in the manufactured the bar.

To that end the invention contemplates especial formation of the fishing surface at the head ot the bar and of the fishing surface at the toot" ofi the bar to provide an adequate remedying of certain defects due to: present practice, and to materiall y strengthen the'jeint structureas to its stress resisting capacity. Also the novel :termationof the fishing bearing surfaces causes the wil and the joint: bars to function as independent" units, thus permittinga more accurate' and efficient means of determining the requisite joint bar: Also, in a more gen enal way the-inventionprovides a c0nstructiom for railv joint liars intended to cause the rail joint to act as a continuous beam the load: distributed over as much of its length as possible, to make the load on therail ends-{Within the joint, more nearly unitorm; load distributed over' a considerable length of the: rail; ends;

these special objects in view the invention consi'stsin: the novel structural formation of the. joint :bars of a rail joint herein described; illustrated and c1aimed,and

while susceptible: 0t modification and of adaptation: to: difi erent types of joint bars, preferred andpractical examples of the in uention are shown inthe accompanying drawings, i'nj which':, v Figure I is a} cross-section of a-railj'oint having the: novei features contemplated by the present invention. accordingto one practical embodiment of thelatter. Y J

F gu e i 41 View Similar tQ,Fig,.1; of an.-

other practicaliembodiment of. the inve tion Figure; 31 is a View similartoz 2 bu illustrating a, substantial}; reverse applica tibn oi the invention.- to the bar. to that shown in, Fig, 2. 1 I

Figure 41s a View similar toiF-ige 1 ,2Zand 3 illustrating, a eiljoint ar ombined w a. fishing shoe 7 or shimg the combi ed" struc- L93Q. Serial No. 1,67,875"

ture embodying the practice of the present i invention.

Figures 5 and 6a re views similarto Figs.

1 to 4% i llustrating; the incorporation of the invention in a continuous type o-fi rail joint. 1 Figure'Z 1s a perspective view ii lustrating an embodiment of the invention in which in terrupted' line orsuliJstantial line contact is provided between a-joint bar and the rail.-

Figure 8* is a View similar to Figs. 1 to 3'- i llustrating an alternatiwe embodiment of the invention,

Figure 9 is a View similar to-Fig: 4 illustrating further alternative embodiment of the invention. g

1 the present invention has particularly in- View a structurat tormatien of the fishing bearing surfaces of the bar which admit of anew and more elficient functioning of therailsand of the joint bars; the action 05E the joint harunder'jload sho'uldbe noted as a premise to a consideration 028' a* feature of improvement contributed by the present invention; On that subject'it is now gener- 7 all? acceptedthat in: the flexure ofa rail joint under vertical loadg the pressure ofthe rail isapplied at the top 01' the joint bars near the rail ends at a point called the centroi d of hearing pressures and that the 'reaction pressure betweenthe' bar and the rail is at the reactions centroid, which is located near the ends of the joint and between the lower surfaceof the joint bar and the top surface of the rail base. These hearing pres sures produce horizonal frictional resistance in the direction of the length of the joint bar andjthe momentofthese couples contribute to th'e transmission of moments from theirail' tothe joint, bars. The" greater fi'exe ibility of the j ointbars and the difference in. the. flexure. oi the rail and-the joint bars at points along their lengthswili', leave a minute space between the jointbars and the rail. surfaces at points away from the areas of bearing, pressures. and reaction pressures. With; the ordinary arrangement ofsurfa'ce contacts fiat at bothaheadr: and base bearings it; not} only centralizes the Wear at adjusting of the flexure of the joint and rail ends.

I By curving laterally one or both of these contacts, we start, with a well fitting joint bar, with the load distributed along the full length with little or no longitudinal frictional resistance to prevent co ordination of the flexure of the joint bar and the rails,

and thereby more nearly approximate a of the rail base flange. Each of the surfaces 2 and 8 may be the arc of a circle or any single or compound curve or the sub stantial equivalent thereof, and the surface 2 at the upperside of the head of the bar preferably is curved to merge gradually-into the fillet are 5 of the bar head. Thus, the line or substantial line contacts provided by the curved fishing bearing surfaces 2 and 3 may be centralized laterally from the rail center and may be brought more nearly in line with the web of the joint bar, which permits designing the joint bar more nearly of the I-beam or Z-bar type and at the same time permits the joint bar to flex about its horizontal gravity axis, which latter condition provides for less strain on the bolts.

It will of course be understood that the laterally curved fishing bearing surfaces 2 and 3 may extend the full length of the joint bar and have bearing contact with the opposed fishing surfaces of the rail throughout the length of the joint in order that the purposes of the invention may be effectually fulfilled. Furthermore, it will be, understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to the degree or type-of the curve on which the arcuate bearing surfaces are designed, as this necessarily would vary according to the limitations of the method of manufacture and according to the type and weight of the rail. However, man embodiments of the invention a distinctive feature is the one already alluded to, namely, that of having the head and base fishing surfaces of the joint bar transversely curved, and in the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, to have the points of bearing contact provided by said curved surfaces 2 and 3 approximately in line with the web of the joint bar. I

.A practical embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings wherein all of the several features described are consolidated in an angle type of splice bar, while in Fig. 2 of the drawings is shown a form of angle bar wherein the head of the bar, in addition to having the upper laterally curved fishing bearing surface 2, also is formed at its inner side with a rounded inner bearing projection 5, which ultimately may seat itself in the head fillet 6 of the rail. That is to say, in the rail'joint construction shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, wherein the joint bar has the top laterally curved bearing surface 2 and the bottom laterally curved bearing surface 3, the purpose is to have the joint bar function with a constantly increasing bearing as the lower portion of the joint bar is pulled in, under adjustment, and. this is accomplished by reason of the fact that the curved head surface 2 rolls on the underside of the rail head and finally into the fillet 6 of the rail, producing the so-called headfree joint. Also this construction of Fig.2 permits of slight variations in the fishing ofthe rails and any other slight irregularities of surface.

In Fig. .3 of the drawings is shown a modification of the invention which is substantially the reverse of that shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. That is to say, the head of the joint bar is provided with the laterally 9 curved fishing bearing surface 2, with the laterally curved bottom fishing bearing surface 3, and also at its foot with-.the inner bearing projection 7 adapted ultimately to seat itself in the bottom rail fillet 8 as the top of the bar is pulled in, under adjust? ment. 7

As illustrative of the scope and range of the invention, reference is made to Fig. 4 of the drawings wherein a fishing shoe or shim 9 is employed. This fishing shoe fits within the fishing of the rail and is provided at its upperend with a topflange 10 formed on its .upperside with a laterally curved fishing, bearing surface 11 which has a bearing contact with the underside of the rail head. At its bottom the said shoe is provided with an outwardly directed flange 12 formed at its lowerside with a laterally curved fishing bearing surface 13 engaging the upperside of the rail flange. The said shoe 9 is of a channel form and at its outerside is provided with a fishing space having the upper fiat bearing surface 14: and the lower fiat bearing surface 15 against which surfaces 14 and 15 the head and foot of the rail joint bar designated 16 are seated. lVhen thebolts of the joint are placed in the structure of Fig. 4 the shoe 9 and the joint bar 16 provide a unitary rail joint structure having the characteristics and functions of the joint bars previously described herein.

Manifestly, with respect to the shoe or shim illustrated in Fig. 4 the same maybe formed in one-piece, as shown, to extend either the full length or only partially the length of the joint, or separate shoes or shims may be provided for the head and the base of the bar, and in either case the shim or shims, as the case may be, may be welded or otherwise secured to the bar and may have either continuous or interrupted line or substantial line contact with the rail.

As further illustrative of the scope of the invention reference is made to Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the drawings. In Figs. 5 and 6 the joint bar 1 is illustrated as of the continuous type having a base flange 17 underlying the base of the rail, and in accordance with the invention the upper side of this base flange 17 is provided with a rounded bearing surface 18 for line or substantial line contact with the bottom surface of the rail. Obviously, the upper part of the bar may be of the design shown in either of Figs. 1, 2 or 3 as suggested by Fig. 5 wherein the design is similar to the design shown in Fig. 1, or the upper, inner corner of the bar may be formed for so-called headfree contact with the head fillet of the rail as indicated in Fig. 6. On the other hand, the head and base fishing surfaces of the bar may be fiat or substantially fiat, and rounded surfaces 19 and 20 may be provided on the underside of the rail head and on the upperside of the rail flange for line or substantial line contact with said joint bar surfaces 19 and 20 as illustrated in Fig. 8, and in any instance the rounded contact surface of any of the bars, or of the rail, may be continuous longitudinally or may be interrupted at spaced points as indicated at 21 in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

Figure 9 of the drawings illustrates a substantial reversal of. the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 4. That is to contact with the headand the base of the joint bar 16.

With respect to the line or substantially line contact between the joint bar and the rail afforded by the present construction, this manifestly constitutes a means to the end that as wear takes place there is permitted an adjustment to accommodate the points of greatest pressure without affecting materially the maintaining of some bearing along the full length of the joint bar. Furthermore, the said line or substantially line contact serves to reducev the requisite bolt tension and at the same time permits 2. A rail joint construction including the rail, and a joint member provided; with upper and lower laterally curved surfaces,

respectively contacting with the flat underside of the rail head and the flat upperside of the rail flange throughout the length of the joint.

3. A rail joint construction including in combination with the rail, the joint. bar

having laterally curved fishing bearing surfaces at the upperside of its head and at the underside of its foot, said fishing bearing surfaces having bearing points of contact approximately in line with the web of the joint bar. j r

4. A rail joint construction including the rail, and a joint member provided with upper and lower surfaces respectively hav ing line or substantially line contact with the underside of the rail head and the upper side of the rail flange.

5. A rail joint construction, including the rail, the joint member cooperating at its head with the head of the rail and at its base with'the base of the rail, and means affording "line contact between the rail and the joint member at both of said places of cooperation ofthese elements.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix' my signature.

BANCROFT G. BRAINE. 

